10 games to watch for 2010

Equipment has been handed out, reservations have been made and
buses are ready and waiting to be loaded as the 2010 college
football season gets underway this weekend ... and not a moment too
soon.

Division III football is back and both coaches and players around
the country have waited for the chance to ply their crafts on the
fields of play.

This will be my fourth season writing for D3football.com, but the
ninth year I have been involved with Division III competition. In
the fall of 2002, I watched my first college football game on a
college visit to Mount Union. They beat Marietta that day and
Baldwin-Wallace one year later in the first college game I ever had
the privilege of broadcasting.

For me personally, the privilege of covering Division III football
does not come in watching young men enjoy playing a game. I have
seen countless games with last-second touchdowns, turnovers at key
junctures, blowouts and nail-biters, and the joy for me comes in
getting to know the players and coaches who represent their
schools.

That is what makes Division III special and fun. While seeing
teams like Mount Union, UW-Whitewater, Wesley and Linfield is a
rare privilege, watching schools like Case Western Reserve,
Otterbein, Trine and others build a program and become successful
is the best part.

Now that the 2010 season is upon us, it is time to get your
tickets, buy a hot dog and enjoy football on the Road to Salem.

Here are ten games to watch for from the Great Lakes Region this
season.

No. 10: Mount St. Joseph at Thomas More, Nov. 13:
Last season, the Mount St. Joseph Lions fell to Thomas More 42-17
in the final week of the regular season and did not fair much
better seven days later when they dropped a 42-14 decision to the
Wittenberg Tigers in the first round of the playoffs. One loss
spoiled Senior Day and a chance at winning the Bridge Bowl, while
another cost the seniors any hope of a national championship.

This time around, the Lions will be looking to play the role of
spoiler when they travel to Crestview Hills, Kentucky to play
Thomas More. The running game will be key, as Thomas More battered
the Lions in this department a season ago. The Lions managed
minus-7 yards rushing and gave up 200 to the Saints.

No. 9: John Carroll at Case Western Reserve, Sept.
4: The post-Dan Whalen era at Case Western Reserve gets
its official start against a team the Spartans have not faced since
the 1988 season. The Spartans have not dropped a regular season
game since the latter stages of the 2006 season and have gone 31-3
over the last three years, but the Blue Streaks lead the all-time
series with a 9-7-1 record.

An important match-up to watch will take place at the line of
scrimmage. Case's preseason All-American offensive lineman, Tony
Opperman, will have to protect quarterback Joey Baum from the
clutches of John Carroll senior defensive lineman Chukubueze
“Chuck” Iheama, who had five, or one-quarter, of the
Blue Streaks' sacks in 2009.

No. 8: Trine at UW-River Falls, Sept. 18: The
Falcons' record from 2009 is 3-7, but what it does not say is how
close they were to having a winning mark in a very physical and
challenging league. They lost four games by four or fewer points
and if a few bounces went their way, the Falcons would have been
7-3.

This game will be a good test for both the Trine Thunder and
Falcons. Trine can pass and run the football efficiently and will
be testing a defense that allowed their 2009 opponents to gain
almost 280 yards-a-game through the air. On their way to the MIAA's
first playoff win since Albion won the national championship in
1994, the Thunder passed for 186.6 yards per game, while gaining
232 on the ground.

Trine outgained opponents by an average of 47 yards per game in
2009.

No. 7: Trine at Adrian, Oct. 2: The Thunder
finish off a tough month with a team that challenged them for the
MIAA crown in 2009, the Adrian Bulldogs. After opening the new Fred
Zollner Stadium on Sept. 2 against Manchester, the Thunder hit the
road for three straight games at Bluffton, UW-River Falls and
Adrian, following a bye week.

Last season, Trine used a consistent effort and punishing defense
to eek out a 21-16 win over the Bulldogs. The Thunder, who got
much-needed breathing room in the conference race with the win over
Adrian, allowed the Bulldogs to gain 266 yards on 70 offensive
plays. Trine racked up 279 yards on 49 plays and was able to
overcome a 13-minute discrepancy in time of possession.

While these two teams meet in late September, the winner will have
an inside track at the MIAA Championship and automatic berth into
the NCAA Tournament.

No. 6 Wooster at Case Western Reserve, Oct. 23:
It has been a few years since the Wooster Fighting Scots have won
the Baird Brothers Trophy, presented annually to the winner of the
Wooster-Case game and that does not sit too well with the resident
college in Wayne County or its die-hard fans.

The Fighting Scots were never really in last season's meeting
after allowing 21 first-quarter points to the Spartans, but the
high-octane offense will have a new engine with Baum taking over
the reigns. The good news for Case is Baum will have time to
develop a rhythm with the offense. However, he will have to contend
with an experienced Scots defense ready to atone for last season's
53-32 loss to Case and 5-5 record.

No. 5: Ohio Northern at Mount Union, Oct. 2:
Picking Mount Union against anyone not named UW-Whitewater is
always difficult to envision and that is because the Purple Raiders
flat out play excellent football in their league. Granted, their
national tournament record is outstanding, but the Purple Raiders
once had a 100-plus game winning streak in the OAC. One that was
snapped by Ohio Northern in 2005.

The Polar Bears will know exactly what type of team they have by
the end of the Mount Union game. After their home/season opener
against UW-River Falls, they travel to Otterbein, host Muskingum
and travel to Mount Union. Should they get through that stretch
with a 3-1 or 4-0 record, Ohio Northern will emerge as a legitimate
playoff contender.

No. 4 UW-River Falls at Ohio Northern Sept. 2:
This will be a nice gauge not only for both teams, but also their
respective leagues as they have met in each of the last five Stagg
Bowl championship games. Usually, it is Mount Union against
Whitewater, but we will get an early-season look at how each team
has progressed throughout camp in preparation for the rigors of
conference football.

No. 3: Wittenberg at Allegheny, Sept. 25: In
talking with several people around the North Coast Athletic
Conference, Allegheny is the Cinderella pick to challenge
Wittenberg and Wabash's stranglehold on the conference championship
and why not? They have nine of 11 starters back on offense,
including quarterback T.J. Salopek.

As a junior, Salopek completed 212 of 325 passes for 2,374 yards
and 14 touchdowns against six interceptions in leading the Gators
to an 8-2 record. Their two losses came at the hands of Wittenberg
and Wabash. Salopek must find a way to avoid Wittenberg's pass
rush, as he was sacked four times in the 2009 meeting.

For the Gators to fulfill their dream of getting back to the top
of the NCAC and into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since
2003, the defense must find a way to reduce the 20.3 points per
game they allowed in 2009. Having six starters back on that side of
the ball, including linebacker Bill Devlin, will help with that
effort.

No. 2: Washington and Jefferson at Thomas More, Sept.
25: The easiest way to become a championship team is by
knocking off the one currently on top of the mountain and that will
be the case for Washington and Jefferson when the travel to Thomas
More at the end of September. The Saints had emerged three years
ago as a possible title contender and for the past two seasons,
they have knocked Washington and Jefferson out of the top spot.

Last year, the game was a defensive struggle, with neither offense
getting into much of a rhythm during the game. The teams combined
for 392 yards of total offense, five fumbles and 14 penalties for
84 yards. Washington and Jefferson held a lead at the end of the
first quarter and into halftime, but a 14-point third quarter by
the Saints spoiled the upset bid.

No. 1: Wabash at Wittenberg, Nov. 6: The
consensus NCAC Game of the Year will be played in Springfield, Ohio
when the Wabash Little Giants roll into town to play the Wittenberg
Tigers. Wabash had held the torch in the NCAC for the past few
years, and not only in the league but also the postseason as well.
However a 10-7 loss to Wittenberg smashed Wabash's title ambitions
in 2009.

The big difference in last year's meeting was the running game.
Wittenberg controlled the tempo of the game, while Wabash struggled
to move the chains. If Wittenberg can again hold a 187-29 edge in
rushing yards, they will win the NCAC outright for the second
straight season.

All the predictions have been made and preseason practices
completed, so now, let the games begin!

Joe Sager is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He has written about sports since 1996 for a variety of newspapers, magazines and websites. He first covered D-III football in 2000 with the New Castle (Pa.) News.